Reading for pleasure: benefits and challenges

www.research–rich-pedagogies/readingforpleasure©Open University

In this session, we will…

• explore the nature of reading for pleasure

• examine research regarding the benefits of RfP

• identify challenges for schools

• highlight research evidence on effectively fostering RfP

• look at the OU RfP community website

www.research–rich-pedagogies/readingforpleasure

©Open University

What is Reading for Pleasure?

At its core is the reader’s volition, their agency and desire to make meaning in anticipation of the satisfaction gained through the experience and interaction around it.

It is or can be transformational…

(Cremin et al., 2014:5)

Where can you find it? Anywhere …. with any kind of text

How can you share it? Easily … IF you know others are interested

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Affective processes

Enjoys reading

Is motivated to read

Thinks positively about reading

Is a confident reader

Identifies as a reader

Relates to texts

Cognitive processes

Is proficient in using technical skills

Has good comprehension skills

Behaviours

Reads widely

Reads frequently

Discusses reading

Uses self-regulatory strategies

Reading…

NLT, for ROGO 2017©Open University

Reading for pleasure is the single most important

indicator of a child’s future success

OECD 2002

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RfP: significant benefits

International evidence demonstrates:

• increased attainment in literacy and numeracy (e.g. Anderson et al., 1988; OECD, 2010; Sullivan & Brown, 2013)

• improved general knowledge (e.g. Clark and Rumbold, 2006)

• richer vocabulary (e.g. Sullivan & Brown, 2013)

• supports identity explorations (e.g. Rothbauer, 2004)

• encourages imagination, empathy and mindfulness of others (e.g.Kidd & Costano, 2013)

The will influences the skill and vice versa

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RfP: A national challenge

• Children’s attitudes to reading in England are comparatively low compared to their skills (PIRLS, 2017)

• In the most recent PIRLS study, in English speaking countries, England had the lowest ranking for enjoyment and (except Australia) the lowest for pupil engagement in reading (PIRLS, 2017)

• Growing attitude problems and gender differences with 6-7 year olds (McGeown et al., 2015)

• Teachers’ perceptions of gender, social class and ethnicity constrain the engagement of struggling boy readers (Hempel-Jorgensen, Cremin, Harris and Chamberlain, 2018)

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RfP: A national challenge

• The backwash of assessment frames RfP pedagogy (Hempel Jorgensen et al, 2018)

• Teacher’s knowledge of children’s literature is dominated by Dahl and celebrity authors and is insufficient to support reader development (Cremin et al., 2009; Clark and Teravainen, 2015)

• Professional conceptions of reading and RfP tend to be book bound (Burnett and Merchant, 2018)

• Practice tends to be activity oriented without coherent follow through to evaluate the impact on children’s affective processes or reading behaviours.

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Professional tensions and challenges

Reading instruction Reading for

pleasure

Easy to mandate, harder to implement effectively in aindividualistic accountability culture.

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Reading Instruction Reading for Pleasure

is oriented towards: is oriented towards:

Learning to read Choosing to read

The skill The will

Decoding and comprehension Engagement and response

System readers Lifelong readers

Teacher direction Child direction

Teacher ownership Child ownership

Attainment Achievement

The minimum entitlement: The maximum entitlement:

The “expected standard” A reader for life

The standards agenda The reader’s own agenda

Distinctions between reading instruction and RfP (Cremin et al., 2014: 157) ©Open University

OU RfP research studies

Teachers as Readers research

• Phase I: A survey of 1200 primary teachers’ knowledge and use of children’s literature from 12 LAs ( Cremin, Mottram, Bearne and Goodwin)

• Phase II: A year-long project with 43 primary teachers from 27 schools in 5 LAs (Cremin, Mottram, Collins, Powell and Safford)

Extracurricular Reading Group research (Cremin and Swann)

Research into Digital Books (Kucirkova and Cremin)

Struggling Boy Readers research (Jorgensen and Cremin)

Funded by:

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1.Considerable knowledge of children’s literature & other texts

2.Knowledge of children’s reading practices

3.An RfP pedagogy, encompassing:

▪ social reading environments

▪ reading aloud

▪ informal book talk, inside-text talk and recommendations

▪ independent reading time

4.To be Reading Teachers: teachers who read and readers who teach

5.To develop reciprocal and interactive reading communities.

(Cremin et al., 2014)

To develop children’s RfP, teachers need:

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The Teachers as Readers project found that when teachers widen their knowledge and pleasure in reading children’s literature and other texts, and become more aware of their own and the children’s reading practices, they reconceptualise reading from the inside out, and more effectively build a reading for pleasure pedagogy and strong communities of readers within and beyond school. (Cremin et al., 2014)

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The project website

www.research–rich-pedagogies/readingforpleasure

©Open University

Onsite: For each research finding there are…

• Self review documents

• Practical classroom strategies

• More research details

• PowerPoints for CPD

• Film clips/interviews

• Examples of Practice (250+!)

Also:

• A school development section

• A children’s survey

• Top Texts each month

• News

• Recommends /blogs©Open University

Offsite opportunities

• OU/UKLA Teachers Reading Groups across the UK

• Annual OU/UKLA Conferences (see

website for details)

• Egmont RfP Awards with OU and UKLA Sign up to the monthly

newsletter to keep up to date and get new ideas!

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Join this professional community to develop a richer reading culture in

school

https://researchrichpedagogies.org

© Anthony Browne 1985

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References

Anderson R. Wilson, P and Fielding L (1988) Growth in Reading and How children spend their time out of school Reading Research Quarterly, 23(3): 85-303. Burnett, C. and Merchant, G. (2018) Affective encounters: enchantment and the possibility of reading for pleasure, Literacy 52 (2): 62-69.Clark C. and Rumbold, K (2006) Reading for Pleasure: A research overviewLondon: National Literacy Trust.Clark, C, and Teravainen, A. (2017) What it means to be a reader at age 11: valuing skills, affective components and behavioural processes. London: National Literacy Trust for Read on Get on.Cremin, T., Mottram, M., Collins, F., Powell, S. and Drury, R. (2015) Researching literacy lives: Building home school communities London: RoutledgeCremin, T, Mottram, M., Collins, F. and Powell, S. (2014) Building Communities of Engaged Readers: Reading for pleasure, London: Routledge. Cremin, T., Mottram, M., Collins, F., Powell, S. and Safford, K. (2009) Teachers as readers: building communities of readers, Literacy 43 (1): 11-19. Cremin, T., Bearne, E., Mottram, M. and Goodwin, P. (2008) Exploring teachers

knowledge of children’s literature, Cambridge Journal of Education, 38 (4):449-464.

©Open University

Hempel Jorgensen, A. Cremin, T. Harris, D. and Chamberlain, L. (2018) Understanding boys’ (dis)engagement with reading for pleasure Literacy 52 (2): 86-94.

Kidd, D. and Castano, E. (2013) Reading literary fiction improves theory of mind Science 342(6156):377-390.

McGeown, S., Norgate, R., & Warhurst, A. (2012). Exploring intrinsic and extrinsic reading motivation among very good and very poor readers. Educational Research, 54(3): 309-322.

OECD (2010), PISA 2009 Results: Learning to Learn – Student Engagement, Strategies and Practices (Vol III). http://dx.doi.org/10.1787/9789264083943-en

PIRLS (2017) National report for England McGrane, J. Stiff, J. Baird, JA. , Lenkeit, J and Hopfenbeck, D. Oxford: OUCEA

Rothbauer, P.M. (2004) Reading practices that inform personal and social identities of self . Canadian Journal of Information and Library science. 28 (3): 53-74.

Sullivan, A. and Brown, M. (2013) Social inequalities in cognitive scores at age 16: The role of reading. CLS Working Paper, London: Centre for Longitudinal Studies.

References

©Open University